Rapid climate change a threat to life on earth

Published: Saturday, March 8, 2014 1:15 a.m. CST

By Steven A. Lopez
Sterling

This is in refutation to the letter by L.E. Burrows [“United Nations seeks to exploit climate change,” The Reader’s Voice, Feb. 26]. This letter perfectly demonstrates the scientifically ignorant, trying to debate against a collective agreement within the scientific academy, that the evidence for human-caused global warming is sufficient.

It’s true. Earth has been going through massive changes in climate for billions of years. But the problem with what we call global warming, is that the rate of change is rapid. Previously, transitions took thousands or millions of years.

He asks why we combat this, suggesting our goal is to stop the climate from changing at all. This isn’t true. The objective is to keep it from changing too much too fast.

Burrows doesn’t seem to understand what “scientific consensus” means. Today’s scientific consensus is based on evidence. The flat earth and revolving sun ideals were both religious consensus, once illegal to question.

You say earth was designed perfectly. But when everything’s main source of life gives you cancer, I question that statement. I’m not even going to get into how ridiculous that “Gaia, for you atheists” comment was. Never met an atheist who believed in Greek mythology.

Global warming is simple. We’re witnessing its effects and causes. Carbon emissions damage the ozone; that’s a fact. Damage to the ozone means more rays getting through. This is also a fact, and why the summers get hotter. With the rays getting in, the ice caps melt faster.

With ice caps melting rapidly, we get too much fresh water disrupting the salt cycle. This causes colder winters as we’ve been experiencing. As this continues, winters will get colder, and summers hotter. Spring and fall will shorten, and the transition from extreme heat to polar cold speeds up.

It’s dangerous, and threatens all life on earth – not just polar bears.